Jon Jay

Jay struggled to fully recover from his wrist surgery last winter and was only able to accumulate 210 at-bats of an anemic slash line. At 30 years old, he's shown some positive flashes over the years,...

It took a few months, but by the midway point of 2014, Jay was entrenched as the Cardinals' starting center fielder. Jay rode a .363 BABIP to a .303/.372/.378 line in 413 at-bats. He battled an inferior Peter Bourjos for much of the 2014 season but looks to be the clear choice for the center field job heading into the 2015 season. In September, Jay hit out of the first or second spot in the lineup an encouraging 17 times, and if Matt Carpenter is moved down to the second or third spot it could mean that Jay could be the Opening Day leadoff hitter for an improved Cardinals' lineup in 2015. Jay drew a walk in just three of those 17 starts, however, and he will need to improve on his career 6.8% walk rate. If Jay can stay healthy and rack up at-bats at the top of the lineup, he could crack 100 runs in 2015 to go along with a solid batting average and OBP.

2014

Jay failed to impress as the Cardinals' leadoff hitter to start the season, eventually losing the role to Matt Carpenter thanks in part to a .213/.293/.337 line in April. The slow start likely cost the Cardinals' center fielder dozens of runs after being dropped to the bottom third of the order. Jay was much better after April, slashing .288/.362/.377 and stealing nine bases, which is more along the lines of what the Cardinals were expecting. Still, it's likely that Jay missed his opportunity for a full-time role with the club and with new addition Peter Bourjos and top prospect Oscar Taveras waiting in the wings, Jay's playing time will probably take a dramatic hit in 2014. If he has a future as a regular in the big leagues, it appears to be with another organization at this point.

2013

After hitting .305 in 2012, Jay is now a lifetime .300 hitter in the big leagues. While only 30 of his 135 hits were for extra bases, Jay helped his owners with a career-high 19 stolen bases and drew enough walks to finish with a .373 OBP. Still, it's tough to hit .300 as a singles hitter and a lifetime 86:202 BB:K ratio, so expect a mild correction in 2013, especially if that .356 BABIP from last year comes down to more normal levels.

2012

After hitting .300 due to a bloated BABIP in 2010, Jay was expected to be nothing more than a platoon outfielder and spot starter last year. Instead he played 159 games - including 107 starts - in the outfield as the Cardinals battled injuries all season. As we said last year, Jay will hit for a can't-hurt-you batting average, but doesn't possess enough power or speed to warrant a double-digit bid in most NL-only leagues, and his career-worst 28:81 BB:K ratio indicates that he could struggle if gets extended playing time again this year.

2011

Jay finally made the majors in 2010 and managed to hit .300, but his .352 BABIP might have something to do with it, because the rest of his numbers were nothing to write home about. He has decent speed and should have a can't-hurt-you batting average most years, but there's not a lot to like from a fantasy perspective. He'll be the fourth or fifth outfielder for the Cards with Lance Berkman signed to join Colby Rasmus and Matt Holliday in the St. Louis outfield.

2010

Jay is already 25, so his good-but-not-great year with Triple-A Memphis has to be considered a disappointment. He's got good speed and a little bit of pop, but his ceiling in 2010 is probably as a fifth outfielder in St. Louis.

2009

The 23-year-old Jay got back on track in 2008, hitting .312/.382/.463 in 430 at-bats. Considering his disappointing and injury-filled 2007 campaign, Cardinals officials were happy to see him bounce back. A strong defensive center fielder, Jay is blocked on the organizational chart by Colby Rasmus. He'll spend at least one more year in the minors.